Solar cells are one of the most important new energy sources that have become available in the past several decades. Considerable effort has gone into solar cell development, and solar cells are currently being applied in the production of some consumer electronics such as hand-held calculators. While significant progress has been made in solar cell development, increased energy conversion efficiency and cost reductions are thought to be necessary to make large area solar cells practical for wider use for houses, automobiles or mobile communications.
Most previous work relating to solar cells has involved silicon based semiconductor materials. Generally, solar cells involve p-n junctions where charge separation across the junction forms the basis for the current production. Recently, solar cells have been produced from junctions formed from C.sub.60 fullerenes as electron acceptors in contact with a conducting polymer films acting as electron donors. The fullerenes act as an electron acceptor due to their high electron affinity. The conducting polymers act as electron donors following light adsorption.